University of Chicago

För dom som har tid och lust, här är 17's svar på frågorna till ansökan till University of Chicago.

How does the University of Chicago, as you know it now, satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future? Please address with some specificity your own wishes and how they relate to Chicago.
U Chicago fits my needs in every way I can think of. I never knew what I wanted to do in college. I've always had an aptitude for math, but once I started calculus, my interest waned. In my junior year, I took AP Economics. It was easily the course which changed my life. From then on, I saw the world differently. I even went through a period where everything became a matter of marginal benefit and costs. While such extremes no longer pertain to my life, no subject has interested me as deeply as economics. This alone was my original clear motive to choose U Chicago, as its reputation for economic success is unrivaled. Recently, I watched a documentary called Commanding Heights on the conflict between economic socialism and capitalism in fledgling countries, and was shocked as to how many involved and crucial economists worked at or had come from U Chicago. The current faculty is beyond exemplary in respect to the subject, cementing my choice. However, from there, I accepted it as my first choice, and ceased research until recently. I then found out that there was so much more to U Chicago, and that only furthered my interest.
One of my best friends refers to me as 'where fun goes to die'. She says this in a joking way, although we both know it is relatively true. It is not so much that I have no fun, but that the things I consider exciting, to most people, fall somewhere in between watching water boil and reading the encyclopedia. It was only when I began looking into U Chicago that I realized the relevance of this quote. My friends would also say that I take myself far too seriously, and am constantly over-intellectual. I feel that at U Chicago, this would help me to the best of my capabilities. Also, while U Chicago is slightly larger than most of my other college choices, its unique dorm system, which reminds me fondly of Harry Potter, is just the social setting I feel supports my mentality. I am not one for vast groups of friends who I never talk to. Throughout my life, I have always had a small, tight-knit group of friends, which I feel meshes perfectly with the U Chicago system.
Political activism is one of my greatest passions, and as U Chicago is known for its active student body, I feel the fit would be complete. Finally, my current school runs a philosophy publication called 'Valhalla'. As co-editor, and constant contributor, I was dismayed to find that approximately seven people (counting myself) at the school read it regularly. However, from what I hear, U Chicago is known for the quality and popularity of its publications, and I hope to contribute to that reputation. While I can say for certain that I don't know everything about U Chicago, until I can find another college with 5 Nobel Laureates in my expected major, a social environment seemingly tailor-made for me, and a student body made up of just the people I would want to be around, I can, without a doubt in my mind say that U Chicago is not only a good fit for me, it is the best fit for me, and barring meteor bombardment, alien invasion, nuclear bombing, or plague, that it is my first choice, without a doubt.

Would you please tell us about a few of your favorite books, poems, authors, films, plays, pieces of music, musicians, performers, paintings, artists, magazines, or newspapers? Feel free to touch on one, some, or all of the categories listed, or add a category of your own
One hundred and seventeen books, stacked in neat piles around my room, organized first by topic, then by author, and finally by title name. That is how I wish it looked. Instead, they lie scattered, with little semblance of order, except in size. Some are shelved in what appear to be eccentric makeshift bookshelves. The compartments, remnants of what was once a wine cellar, wooden and cracked, fragments peeling off like a scab from new-formed skin, are ill-suited for books, and yet, like our pre-historic evolutionary ancestors discovered, an imperfection is still far better than nothing at all. To choose from among these, one, two, ten, or any amount of books which could be described briefly and comprehensively, is a mammoth goal, and these books only reflect the past year. Reading, to me, offers insight into whole new worlds. Into evolution, a plethora varying opinions, balanced on the supports of key authors, such as Clinton Richard Dawkins, who revolutionized Darwin's already revolutionary theory of evolution by natural selection. Into philosophy, starting with 'Introduction to Logic', and from there, ranging into postmodernism, arguments for and against the existence of God, and paradoxes. Into whole worlds of fantasy or science, where the very fabric and laws of the universe are bent by magic or technology. And lastly, into my own mechanisms, as from each new volume of existence, I gain knowledge not only about my world, or another one entirely, but about myself. Through reading, I learn, and define myself by building on my beliefs, whether they be moral or scientific, or on the workings of society. That being said, there are authors who have been crucial in this process. Darwin, with his theories, gave the means to be not just intellectually coherent, but intellectually satisfied as an atheist. Sam Harris and George H. Smith, who taught me that holding a minority viewpoint doesn't make me wrong, and that my intellectual integrity is far more important than belonging to a given community. And what list would be complete without Orson Scott Card, who showed me that everyone's life has troubles, and I should just be glad I'm not off to fight bugger aliens before I hit adolescence.
On the other hand, my quest to define my music taste has been less than coherent, and far from linear. I have never been a fan of the hip-hop and R&B my family enjoyed, as I saw the lyrics of the newer music. My first love in music was jazz, beginning with Al Jarreau, and spreading from there. However, recently my music tastes have shifted to rock, as a result of a friend teaching me basic guitar melodies. Since then, I have begun teaching myself how to play guitar, and my music tastes have shifted to accommodate this. Most crucial to me has been Tom Morello, the lead guitarist, first for Rage Against the Machine, an edgy rap core group which featured hard guitar licks and riffs, as well as revolutionary lyrics, ranging from economics to social strife. This has been interpreted by some as offensive, due to its habit of holding nothing sacred, but to me, simply represents intellectual honesty.

The concept of Yin and Yang is derived from ancient Chinese Philosophy, in which the balancing forces join to create 'Taijitu', meaning 'diagram of the supreme ultimate', perfectly balanced and complete. What are your yin and yang, and how do they combine to create your Taijitu?

I flitted throughout the house, hooting and yipping excitedly, dancing from foot to foot as though on hot coals, only pausing to stop intermittently on a couch to rest, restlessly, as my knees quivered with boundless energy and excitement, bouncing up and down as if through a will of their own. Only 30 minutes ago I had sat in abject silence, awaiting the verdict, an imminent death sentence, but that ruling had been overturned. Now the jury was split, and the following minutes of overtime would tip the balance. Crossing my fingers and holding my breath, I appealed to every superstition, hungry for any advantage that would tip the scales in my favor for this epic battle. Suddenly, as the racing clock neared its end, the finishing shot dropped weightlessly into the net, and it was then, pumping my fist in the air in a gesture of defiant success, that I knew victory. Nine years without a playoff game, fourteen without a winning record, but both droughts had been shattered. Finally, with this victory, the Western Finals, a before unattained goal, was now in reach. I sprang into the air cheering, unburdened by ages of defeat, ecstatic and relieved at the shattering of this formerly insurmountable curse.
My friends would never believe it. They would say that the crazed, superstitious, maniacally faithful Clipper fan, is not, COULD not be Mattias. Could he be under the influence of a body snatcher, and thus not acting of his own will? Had he been the subject of a lobotomy gone wrong, or developed a second personality after being driven to insanity? They would be perfectly justified in such queries. Logic is what I base my life on, and ranging from my beliefs in respect to a god, agnostic atheism, to my everyday life, I base everything I do on my personal philosophy, scientism. Scientism entails an approach of skepticism and rationalism, finding answers through observation and the scientific method, and firmly rejecting unsubstantiated claims, natural or supernatural. Some would call this a cold approach to life, bereft of the benefits of the emotional sector of humanity. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Logic is not opposed to emotion; emotional attachment supports the issues long after logic establishes them. I can just as often be found cheering for my favorite basketball team as arguing passionately over our genetic relationship to monkeys, rats, and fish. This fervor which flows out during a heated sports game is not uncharacteristic of myself in other veins of life, because my logical nature is so integral to my personality that I am offended when people insist on irrationality, and become emotionally charged over what would seem to be a simply reason based discussion. Often this will lead me to seek knowledge, not in the pursuit of some cause, or with any tangible goal in sight, but simply for the sake of learning. To know more, whether it be my constant independent research on evolution, or a continuous investigation into the philosophy of economics, is always my greatest motivation.
Chinese philosophy refers to the yin and the yang, the opposing forces in the universe, which are always equally present. In this extent, my rationality in all matters is balanced by an equal amount of irrational behavior, and in this extent, my faith in the lowly Clippers is magnified as an outlet to counter balance all the serious thought, the planning and analyzing which occurs in my head on a daily basis. When Yin is present in greater quantities, the other is said to be in a greater 'concentration', and I am no exception. My devotion to the Clippers is as devout as any religious conviction, perhaps more so. But this begs a further question. Which of my two natures is the Yin, and which the Yang? That is of no consequence, as it cannot be said that Yin is evil and Yang good, one correct and one incorrect, only that they are opposites. This holds true for the two opposed and yet balanced aspects of my personality. Which side of the coin either is on is irrelevant, and only would show a limited perspective. Together, the two fuse to form my supreme ultimate. Of course, it is not complete, and as the Yin and Yang of my personality wax and wane, I will come closer to accepting and understanding my Taijitu.
But back to the game. 1.1 seconds until victory, 1.1 seconds of holding off any last desperate strike. 1.1 second- 'Bell, for the tie! Oh ME, Oh my! Oh ME, Oh MY! We have double overtime!' From there it ended quickly, mercifully. Just like that it was over. My radio fell silent as I hung my head, disappointed once more. Another letdown for the team notoriously known as the worst sports team in existence.